Case Study: 15 Union Square West, New York, United States

Case Study

Behind the facades at 15 Union Square West

The challenge

Eran Chen, Architect

I wanted to reveal the original cast iron structure by removing the brick and demolishing the intermediate floors in order to return the building to its original, basic structure. I was interested in bringing back that specific sense of materials historically associated with cast iron structures and have sought to replace the original skeleton with modern materials in the same idiom. One of the challenges faced was how to camouflage the original structure with a new, cutting-edge skin that brings new meaning to the composition without the tension and variation previously associated with the structure's former 1950's façade. I wanted to reinvent the harmonious partnership of cast iron and glass with a new representation for the building, making it iconic, unique, with an absolute prominence for Union Square... the idea of "city living" at its most robust and engaged in history....